Her gaze locked onto Lora, and for a moment, she seemed frozen in place, her expression one of disbelief. “Elora?” she whispered, as if seeing a ghost.
Lora remained silent, her face impassive, her emotions carefully controlled.
Alena’s voice trembled as she spoke again, louder this time. “Elora, is that you? But how...?”
Lora’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice cold and ironic as she responded, “I am very much alive, ...sister.”
Alena’s shock deepened, and she seemed to shrink in on herself, her posture becoming pitiful and pleading. “You must help me, sister. Please, have mercy on me,” she begged, her voice dripping with desperation.
But Lora simply laughed, the sound harsh and unyielding. “Drop the act, Alena. No one’s buying it.”
The shift in Lora’s tone seemed to snap something
